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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Lazy Sunday Service

A week of contrasting reading with respect to endings. Earlier in the week I reviewed Bed of Nails, a book that was significantly enhanced by a powerful ending. Last night I finished reading The Search for Klingsor by Jorgi Volpi, a book that in my view was shaping up to be something of a masterpiece before being let down somewhat by a weak ending. Interestingly, both books had strong philosophical and metaphysical undertones and slightly ambiguous conclusions, and both were thought provoking. However, whilst Bed of Nails left me conflicted and reflective, The Search for Klingsor made me frustrated for what could have been, especially since the first three quarters of the book had been so exceptionally good. Funny how an ending can colour a whole book.

About Me

I'm a professor at the National University of Ireland Maynooth and the author of four crime novels and two collections of short stories, and author or editor of 25 academic books and a 12 volume encyclopedia. My passions are reading and writing crime fiction and undertaking research on social issues. The other blogs I contribute to are Ireland After NAMA and The Programmable City.